The Tangled Web
by Bottou-chan
Summary: Will Neon, Joker, and the Uruha get blamed for a murder they didn't commit?
1. Chapter 1

The Tangled Web

**The Tangled Web**

**Chapter One**

**By Bottou-chan**

A/N: In honor of Chris' birthday, which was the 16th. :o)

It was a weekend like any other weekend in the Botanic Garden. Set in the midst of a gray concrete jungle was a mass of lush green vegetation. Trees' branches stretched skyward, casting rippling shadows on the sandstone paths. Flowers bloomed profusely from every conceivable bush, stalk, and bed. Koi swam lazily in their ponds, swarming only when someone approached the edge of the pool with a small cup of purchased carp food vended from a machine cleverly disguised as a traditional roadside shrine.

In this idyllic setting, a handful of couples meandered, enjoying the scenery… and each other's presence. 

One of these couples stood near a fountain surrounded by roses. The red-haired feminine half of the couple was gently touching the velvety-soft petals of the flowers. The black-haired rasta-braided masculine half of the couple was watching the fountain play and trying very hard not to tell the feminine half what it made him think of. 

So he mentioned the other thought which was currently being entertained in his brain. 

"Oi, Neon-han, I think I'm dizzy from too much oxygen in this place." 

"You could have stayed outside in the Osakan smog," replied Neon in a clipped tone. The soft nature-loving expression on her face disappeared and was replaced by something that suggested that perhaps she had a few thorns of her own. 

"So harsh," remarked Joker, and although his tone was sympathetic that such a lovely woman was marred by such unkind thoughts, his hardly-suppressed smirk suggested that he could care less. "You know that I would deprive myself of my usual dose of smog, just to spend a precious moment with you." 

It was their game, and he knew it. 

"Perhaps the lack of oxygen had an adverse affect on your brain after all," suggested Neon dryly. 

"Perhaps an overdose of _Rosa villosa_ has impaired your ability to recognize the most perfect specimen of Osakan manliness in the world," suggested Joker, puffing his chest up with pride. 

"What about him?" Neon jerked her head in indication of a young man standing on a bridge nearby, watching the koi as they swam under, and speaking on his cell phone. 

Joker scrutinized the man. "He's not from Osaka," he said distastefully. "Not with his hair like that— and not dressing like that, he's not." 

Neon looked at him again. There was nothing wrong with his hair or clothes… but to keep from appearing ignorant, she refrained from asking. After all, it wouldn't do to encourage a show of superiority from her comrade. 

Instead, she turned the other way. "Come on. Let's go this way."

****** 

Her voice trailed off abruptly when she saw it. His feet were protruding from behind a large _Acer palmatum_, clad in gray argyle socks and black patent leather shoes. Neon stood motionless as Joker knelt down swiftly. 

"He's dead," Joker diagnosed after a quick check. Neon felt urged to make an irrelevant comment regarding Star Trek, but then decided against it. 

The difference between her and Joker was that she knew how to keep her Comments to herself. Well, * _one_ * of the differences, anyways; there were several, but that was the one that came to mind at the moment--- 

"Who is he?" asked Neon, not looking. By no means was she afraid of looking at a dead man… she had seen more than her fair share of them, and more often than not, she was the Cause of such a state of being… but rather, she was on the lookout in case anyone caught Joker in such a compromising position. 

Joker patted the man's pockets. "No wallet," he proclaimed in a low voice. 

"Cause?" 

Joker wrinkled his nose. "How about five bullet holes in his chest?" he suggested. "That is, unless, someone's been slowly poisoning his Cream of Wheat for the last eight months, and disguised the poisoning by shooting him." 

"This is kind of public for this kind of occurrence to take place," remarked Neon, ignoring the lapse into facetiousness. "Recognize him?" 

Joker shook his head and rose to his feet, brushing the dirt from his knees. "Not offhand," he said. "But I suppose we ought to be good citizens and report this to the authorities." 

"Why don't we just leave and not get involved? It might get messy," suggested Neon. It wouldn't do to draw extra unwanted attention to themselves. 

Joker dismissed her fears with a derogatory noise. "It would be more suspicious if we left," he remarked in a low voice. A couple had turned a corner and were now walking down the path directly towards them. 

Neon rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was get involved… but there seemed to be no way around it. Without missing a beat, she hurried forward in tripping little steps, the fastest stride her high heels allowed her to run. 

The couple looked at her in alarm. 

Neon burst into hysterics. "He's — he's — he's — he's _dead_," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. With a trembling finger, she pointed at the enormous bush behind which the body lay. 

The man's eyebrows raised. He made a gesture that indicated his girlfriend should stay behind and try to help console the weeping Neon. With his manliest stride, he made his way over to where Joker stood, punching numbers into his cell phone, dialing the emergency number. 

He knew the number to call for homicide. He'd never dialed it himself before, but it was always a handy thing to know. 

The second man surveyed the body solemnly as Joker muttered into the phone like a dutiful citizen. Then he snapped it shut and pocketed it. 

"He's dead," the newcomer remarked, taking care not to touch it. 

"Yeah," agreed Joker. "He's dead." 

A short silence. 

"Shame, huh." 

"Yeah. Shame." 

They stood there, their hands in their pockets, trying to look nonchalant and masculine as they warned others away from the site.


	2. Chapter 2

The Tangled Web

**The Tangled Web**

**Chapter Two**

**By Bottou-chan**

A/N: In honor of Chris' birthday, which was the 16th. :o)

"Name?" 

"Iwahara Neon," answered Neon dutifully, dabbing at one eye with a Kleenex. 

"What brought you to Osaka?" inquired the officer. It was obvious by her accent that she wasn't a native of their city. 

Neon's lip trembled. "I'm a member of Mori Kurei's support staff," she explained. "He was in town for a business meeting, and I came along to help make sure things went smoothly. The domestic things, you know… he's so enthused about doing his father's humanitarian work that he forgets to eat, to sleep, and that sort of thing." She offered a nervous, quavering smile. "I'm a glorified babysitter," she confided. "But he had some private business to take care of, and so I'd heard about your lovely botanic garden. I love flowers, roses especially, and thought it would be nice. Odokemono Hiroji came with me, as he knows the area, and wanted to make sure I was safe." Again, her voice quavered on the brink of tears. "But… but… but… I never would have come here today if I knew…" 

The tears won out. She spent the next several minutes crying into the Kleenex, while the officer waited patiently for her to pull herself together. 

It * was * true, in a way. Kurei was in-town meeting some top-dog Yakuza officials. When he had some private business to discuss, Joker and Neon had been curtly dismissed and told to meet up with him later at the hotel that evening. 

"And what does Odokemono do?" asked the officer. 

Neon's mind raced. "He's his private assistant. Very confidential," she confided. 

"And he didn't stay with Mori Kurei?" inquired the Officer, writing in neat, cramped characters in his notebook. 

"It was very confidential," confided Neon. Something clicked in her mind. _Joker's probably making up some stupid stories about how we were taking a romantic walk…_

She mentally rolled her eyes before blushing and adding, in her shyest voice, "Errmm… and, you see… that is… Odokemono and I… well… Hiroji and I… you know how it is," she finished, and lowered her eyes modestly. 

"Ah. Now, tell me what else happened…"

****** 

Joker sat in a small gazebo overlooking the koi pond. It was a romantic spot; very scenic. A nice place to take a girl. 

Too bad he was stuck here with a pencil-mustached police officer. 

"You from here?" asked the officer. 

"Used to be," shrugged Joker. "Business made me move elsewhere." 

"Name?" 

Joker's mind raced. He couldn't claim to be himself… Odokemono Hiroji. Hiroji was on the missing-persons list, was wanted locally in connection for assault and theft, and a score of other various charges which he preferred to keep under wraps. 

Then again, he couldn't call himself "Joker", either. He might as well call himself Fluffybunnykins. 

"Raiha," he answered. "Takagi Raiha." 

He was quite proud of himself—he hadn't skipped a beat. As he rummaged in his wallet to produce a picture ID which conclusively proved he was Raiha, he had a haunted feeling. Neon * did * remember the agreement they'd worked out? It was harder to keep track of Joker's aliases than Neon's, as Neon usually went by her own name. Hiroji worked just fine in most cases. Except for when there was a chance of police reports being filed. Especially when there were police reports being filed in his home city. 

The officer laboriously spelled it out. 

"What brings you back in town?" he asked. 

"Business meeting," answered Joker. "I work for Mori Kurei as his personal aide. Neon-han and I — the girl — were given the day off. I knew the area, and decided to show her the sights." 

"Ahhh." The pencil-mustached man nodded as he wrote. There was an impish gleam in his eye as he looked up. "A nice place to bring a woman, eh? There's terrific atmosphere here." He winked suggestively. 

Joker grinned back. Suddenly, they weren't officer-and-civilian… it was more of a man-to-man moment. _But Neon's probably swearing up and down that she wouldn't go on a date with me if I was the last man on earth_, he thought, suppressing a laugh. Neon's vehement protests were an endless source of amusement for him. Aloud, he said, "Yeah, well, I wish. But Neon-han's dedicated to the boss." With another man-to-man wink, he added, "I can look, but I can't touch. You know how it is." 

"Yeah," agreed the officer, writing once more. "Now, tell me about how you came across the body."


	3. Chapter 3

The Tangled Web

**The Tangled Web**

**Chapter Three**

**By Bottou-chan**

A/N: In honor of Chris' birthday, which was the 16th. :o)

Back at HQ, Chief Nakashita surveyed the report. 

"We have a positive ID?" he asked, flipping through the pages. There was a set of photographs appended. Several were of the body, as it had been found. Others were of the body at the morgue. There were five of Joker and Neon, standing together, oblivious to the fact that their photo had been snapped. 

"Almost conclusively," answered Officer Kawazu. "We strongly believe that he's Sakumu of the Uranua gang, but are waiting for the dental records to confirm it." 

Chief Nakashita nodded. "And you're under the impression that these two are guilty?" 

"They're highly suspicious," said Officer Makiyama. "Their stories didn't match at all. They couldn't even get each other's names right." 

"They contradicted each other on the purpose for their expedition, not to mention, their relationship with each other," agreed Officer Kawazu. "The woman said it was a romantic stroll while their boss conducted business… the man said they were given the day off and that the girl was unquestionably dating their employer." 

"Those were some of the most glaring points," reported Officer Makiyama. "There were a few other minor details they didn't have straight, either." 

Chief Nakashita nodded. "Understood," he said. With a wry smile, he added, "I want you to follow-up on them." 

****** 

There was an emergency meeting at the Uruha Mansion that evening. Kurei was not present, although he had made it more than clear that if the police found traces of _anything_ in the search they would inevitably make, neither Neon nor Joker would survive to be tried in court. 

Madougu, cloning tanks, Mokuren's laboratory, Shiju… anything. 

It was a hefty task, and they were worried. 

It would take the police a few days to accumulate an idea of what they wanted to find, but they would undoubtedly come soon. 

"Not only do we have to hide the evidence of our activities," said Neon, "But we also need to pull together some sort of story that would explain why we lied in our answers to their questions." 

Mikoto had her feet on the table. "How about we're a peace-loving cult in the mountains?" she asked sarcastically. "We raise canaries to channel our prayers to heaven, and buy guinea pigs from pet stores to set them free. We indulge in free love, which is why Neon forgot which man she was attached to." 

Mokuren snickered. "Perhaps your little fantasy came true. You and Neon really _are_ such secret lovers that you forgot all about it." 

"Duly noted," said Raiha, frowning. "Joker — I don't suppose you could pass as anyone besides yourself? I mean, they don't have your fingerprints or anything, do they?" 

Joker shook his head. "I don't know if it's attached to my criminal record or not," he said regretfully. "But they fingerprint everyone when you get your driver's license made, and it would be easy for them to connect one and the other. But fortunately, my driver's license photo—like all driver's license photos—looks nothing like me at all. And that would be the only actual picture they'd have access to of me… if they have any photo at all." 

"It shouldn't be very hard to hide the cloning tanks and the madougu," said Aki thoughtfully. "After all, the mansion's so big that if we block off a whole floor of rooms, you can't even tell. I'd have to agree that getting the story straight is the hard part." 

Miki nodded. Usually, her junior status kept her from speaking her mind during these meetings, but her genuine concern for Neon prompted her to participate. "And we don't want such an outlandish story that they become even _more_ suspicious," she agreed. "We want them to come in, poke around, understand why the apparently contradictory stories are both true, and then leave and look for the real murderer elsewhere." 

"Since Neon and Joker are their only leads, that's going to be hard to do," objected Genjuro. He didn't care much for either of them, and it was well-known that he'd shed no tears if they left. "They'll hang on stubbornly to their clues, and force them to fit their theory, and ignore anything that doesn't match." He seemed amused. "It would be ironic if you two were both jailed for a murder you _didn't_ commit, seeing how many you've escaped with." 

Joker was already irked, and didn't need _that_ sort of talk coming around. He already felt stupid enough that he and Neon hadn't worked out their stories beforehand, although the presence of others had understandably hampered any communication. He stood up and was on the verge of telling Genjuro exactly what he could do with his opinions, when he was jerked back down into his seat by a sharp tug on his shirttail by Raiha. 

"Of course, that's been taken into consideration," said Raiha smoothly. "We need two separate task forces. One to investigate who performed the hit, and one to convince the officers that no one _here_ did." 

After much debate and decision, a number of Uruha were dispatched to work on that angle as soon as possible, while the remainder sat and battled out the details of their story.


	4. Chapter 4

The Tangled Web

**The Tangled Web**

**Chapter Four**

**By Bottou-chan**

A/N: In honor of Chris' birthday, which was the 16th. :o)

Three days had passed, and no sign of the police. 

Joker and Neon were restless. 

They had not been allowed to leave the mansion since the incident. While in one way, it was good (they were still getting paid), in another way, it chafed. Neon found innumerable little odd jobs to busy herself with. After all, she had once been the maid, and she found dusting and vacuuming to be good 'thinking' times. She went through the motions, but her mind was far away. 

Joker, on the other hand, was not used to such captivity. He had always prized his freedom and independence, and it chafed to be under what virtually amounted to house arrest. Still, he understood the reasons, and so he chafed quietly, wishing bureaucracy would get its act together and hurry up. 

If rumor was correct, their little task force was well on its way to getting the incident cleared up. 

He somehow doubted that the police were making such good progress.

****** 

It was the fifth day when the signal came. 

By this time, all but the essentials of day-to-day operation had been concealed. The last few remnants of evidence were quickly spirited away behind secret walls and down hidden staircases. 

The Uruha had rehearsed for this many times over the last few days, and were more than ready for the ordeal to be over. They assembled in their proper places, with last-minute adjustments. 

Soon it would be time.

****** 

The police were only slightly delayed at the outer gate, in accordance with orders. Equally in accordance with orders, however, they had been told in no uncertain terms that this was a bad choice. One does not barge onto the private estate of a billionaire philanthropist, search warrant in hand. One politely sends an elegantly handwritten request on ivory cotton paper for an invitation to a masked ball. 

The officers didn't find this particularly amusing, and insisted. 

Access was granted.

****** 

It was Aki who answered their knock. 

"Officers-sama," she murmured, opening the door for them and allowing them into the foyer. "How may we be of assistance?" 

Officer Kawazu flashed a piece of paper. "Search warrant," he said. 

Aki's eyes widened. "Is there a problem?" she asked in a hushed, aghast voice. "Did someone do something bad?" 

Officer Makiyama looked sympathetically at her. So young! So innocent! What was she doing working in a home that housed potential criminals? She ought to find herself better employment elsewhere. "We had a tip," he said vaguely. "We just wanted to come by and check it out." 

Aki shook her head. "Everyone is very nice around here," she assured him, exuding wholesomeness and goodness. 

"I'm sure they are," replied Officer Kawazu politely. "But we would still like to look around." 

Aki nodded. "I can't leave the door unattended," she explained, "But I can find someone who will escort you around. It's a big place, and easy to get lost." She pulled a tasseled cord which hung from the ceiling. 

"Tell me," said Officer Makiyama nonchalantly. "Do you know a woman named Neon?" 

"Neon's a wonderful, beautiful person," declared Aki, as if there was no room for question. "She's kind and thoughtful and gentle. She makes sure Kurei-sama packs enough underwear, and one time, when he was out on business and dropped his toothbrush in the toilet, she went out in a blizzard to the drugstore to buy him a new one." 

"Ah. Do you know a man named Hiroji?" inquired Officer Kawazu. "What's he like?" 

Aki blinked. "We must have ten or twenty Hiroji's here," she said. 

"Odokemono Hiroji," he clarified. 

Aki nodded. "Yes. We must have ten or twenty Odokemono Hiroji's here." 

Now it was the officers' turn to blink. "Pardon us?" 

Aki waved it aside as if it was of no consequence. "It's some game they play. I don't know; I don't get involved in it. Do you have another name?" 

"How about Takagi Raiha?" Officer Makiyama suggested. 

This time, recognition registered. "Oh, of course," she said. "Raiha's a sweetie, too. I don't see much of him, as he works Upstairs—" by her tone, it seemed that shafts of golden light always illuminated that legendary place, and angel choirs sung mysteriously from its ceilings "—and I'm Down Here." 'Down Here' had a very flat, matter-of-fact edge to it. "But I've heard stories, of course. He accompanies Mori Kurei-sama on many of his trips. He's one of his top aides. But he's still a really nice guy. They went to the hospital to see a bunch of leukemia children-patients once, and Raiha made balloon animals for them." 

"Do you know if Neon and… er… Raiha… have any sort of… personal… connection?" It was hard to phrase it delicately, as was suitable for someone of Aki's years. 

At that, a frightened expression flashed across the girl's face. "Don't mention that to _anyone_," she entreated them, eyes wide and pleading. "Never, never, never." Her voice lowered to an almost-dreamy tone. "It's _so_ romantic," she murmured. "Star-crossed lovers. The longing… the desire… it's obvious to anyone who watches them watch each other. But they're not allowed to follow their obvious destiny. They both work for Mori Kurei-sama, Neon as a personal assistant, and Raiha as a personal aide. Neon caught Kurei-sama's eye, and he fell in love with her. Neon thought she was in love with him, too, and their relationship blossomed. Then when Raiha was hired on… well, as harsh as it is to say, Kurei-sama didn't stand a chance. Neon was smitten. Raiha felt it, too… but there was nothing they could do about it, due to their positions. And so their love is destined to be the thing of an epic romance… a pure, chaste love from afar, never admitted to, never fulfilled… two lovers destined to be wrenched apart before they're ever allowed to come together… ohhhh… it's so romantic." 

Her expression was rapt, and she clasped her hands together and uttered a breathy sigh before resuming her story. 

"But Mori Kurei-sama was oblivious to the whole thing. He believes that Neon is dedicated entirely to him. He doesn't know that when she holds him… when she gazes into his eyes… when they —" (another breathy sigh) " —kiss… she's not with him at all. Her mind and her soul and her heart are with another, even if her body cannot be." With that, Aki looked directly at the two officers. "Isn't that the noblest, most romantic thing you've ever heard?" she demanded. 

They politely nodded and agreed that yes, it _was_ very noble of her. Of him. Of both of them. 

It was with some degree of relief that their escort showed up, in the form of Kashemaru. He expressed delight at being allowed to aid the policemen in their search. That didn't stop him from vehemently vowing that there would be nothing of use turned up, but it wouldn't hurt for the policemen to reassure themselves on this point. 

After they had disappeared, Aki bustled off to the bathroom and brushed her teeth thoroughly. 

The string of lies had left an uncharacteristically bad taste in her mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

The Tangled Web

**The Tangled Web**

**Chapter Five**

**By Bottou-chan**

A/N: In honor of Chris' birthday, which was the 16th. :o)

The nonchalant questioning of Kashemaru had turned up about the same story that Aki had given. He was a lot more straightforward and to-the-point, and a lot less starry-eyed, but the details were the same. 

It seemed that there were a good number in this household who were watching the romance with great interest. 

There was little turned up in the search, however. While well-furnished and with scenic views, there was nothing in the way of evidence. There wasn't even anything in the way of suspicious… Kashemaru showed no signs of reluctance to open any door; he didn't tense up when the policemen peeked under rugs and looked behind furniture; and when they poked through closets and inspected clothes for telltale bloodstains, he only mildly commented that there would be a lot of ironing to do after the officers had finished. 

They were quite disappointed. 

A thought struck Officer Makiyama, however, just as they had about given up hope. "The nice young lady at the door had mentioned you had an excess number of Odokemono Hiroji's here," he remarked. "It sounds quite interesting. Could you explain?" 

At that, Kashemaru exhibited all the classic signs of guilt. Shifty eyes… nervous laugh… wringing of hands… licking of lips… fidgeting. He demurred. 

Obviously, he had no excuse, and Officer Kawazu wasn't about to be gentle. 

"Tell us!" he said boomingly. Kashemaru was just a little guy; he was easy to overpower and intimidate. 

Kashemaru was cowed. "It's hard to explain, and even harder to understand," he whimpered. 

"Try us," said Officer Makiyama dryly. 

Kashemaru gave up. "Fine," he grumbled. They retraced their steps to the second floor, and Kashemaru indicated a door in plain view. 

Surely that door couldn't have been hidden before. But the two men were equally positive they hadn't seen it before, and therefore, they hadn't passed through it before. 

"You must promise to be very quiet," Kashemaru whispered. He cracked open the door, and the three slipped inside. 

Inside, it took a while for their eyes to adjust to the dimness. The walls were draped in dark-colored fabric. The ceiling shone with intricate, iridescent patterns (easily created by spritzing Clorox on the surface, and then shining a black light on it). Votive candles flickered in their holders, set on small stands. At the end of the corridor was a beaded curtain, through which light shone. 

Kashemaru and his two guests stood silently behind the curtain. 

In the room, a circle of ten or fifteen people sat, wearing dark green robes with scarlet sashes. A blue fire burned in a brazier at the circle's center. They were seated on plump cushions, their heads bowed, and chanting softly. 

Another odd thing was, every single one of them wore their hair in rasta braids. 

A rasta-braided Mikoto stood up. She had a bowl of wine in her hands, and she raised it upwards. "I am Odokemono Hiroji; may the spirit of Odokemono Hiroji live within me. Odokemono Hiroji is dead. I am Odokemono Hiroji," she intoned. Then she downed the bowlful in one draught and sat back down again. 

A rasta-braided Raiha stood up. He, too, had a bowl of wine in his hands, and raised it upwards. "I am Odokemono Hiroji; may the spirit of Odokemono Hiroji live within me. Odokemono Hiroji is dead. I am Odokemono Hiroji," he said solemnly. Then he drank his wine and resumed his seated position. 

A rasta-braided Genjuro stood up. He raised his bowlful of wine upwards and chanted the same words. "I am Odokemono Hiroji; may the spirit of Odokemono Hiroji live within me. Odokemono Hiroji is dead. I am Odokemono Hiroji." He took his time about drinking his own wine, but eventually sat back down again. 

They watched in silence for a few moments as each member in the circle took turns rising and reciting the ritual. Miki…Tsukeshiro… Mokuren… Magensha… Neon… Kirin… Joker… and others. Everyone who had enough hair to even barely rasta-braid had done so, except for the notable absence of Noroi and Rassen. (It had taken quite a while to rescue Kai's hair from its former dreadlocks, and hadn't happened without quite a number of threats and expletives, but the task had finally been accomplished.) 

After the last had recited the formula, they lapsed once more into a wordless, sonorous chanting. 

Kashemaru and the officers withdrew. 

"What kind of cult do you guys have going on?" demanded Officer Kawazu suspiciously. 

Kashemaru shook his head. "That's just it," he explained patiently, in an I-knew-you-wouldn't-understand tone. "We gather in remembrance of _the_ Odokemono Hiroji." He spoke the words with great reverence. "He was an elderly man, yet still managed to be wise beyond his years. He was a great advisor to both Mori Kouran and Mori Kurei. He was a great mystic, and well-versed in the arts of meditation and divination. It was working on his advice that Mori Kouran managed to ascend to the pinnacle where he is today." Kashemaru spread his hands widely. "But about five years ago, while in the mountains, Hiroji was killed while protecting his masters' interests. Since then, his spirit has come to return to us, once a week, every Wednesday… Wednesday being the day of his death. He infuses them with his spirit, and lives on through him." 

Kashemaru looked quite envious. "Of course, that only works with the _chosen_ ones," he added. "But sometimes, Chosen Ones refer to each other as Odokemono Hiroji… they forget, sometimes, because the spirit of Hiroji has been so closely melded into their own souls, they see him instead of who's really there." 

The officers looked at each other skeptically while Kashemaru silently wished for a suspension-of-belief madougu.


	6. Chapter 6

The Tangled Web

**The Tangled Web**

**Chapter Six**

**By Bottou-chan**

A/N: In honor of Chris' birthday, which was the 16th. :o)

When the officers returned, they still hadn't quite made heads or tails of the situation. There was _something_ fishy going on, undoubtedly, but nothing illegal. They wanted to pursue it further, investigate more thoroughly… but without an idea of what they ultimately wanted to discover, they didn't have much chance of getting anything approved. 

As soon as Chief Nakashita heard they were back, they were summoned into his office. "You're called off the Sakumu case," he told them. 

Officers Kawazu and Makiyama looked at him blankly. "But we didn't find anything yet—" 

"You're not going to," snapped Nakashita. "They have nothing to do with it." 

Officer Makiyama blinked. "You've completely ruled them out, sir?" he asked. "It's very common that the first person to call for help is often the last one who saw them alive—" 

Nakashita shook his head. "That's not it… we've got a confession from someone else. They've turned themselves in." 

Officer Kawazu's eyes widened. "After this much time, someone's been overcome with remorse and guilt?" he asked skeptically. 

Nakashita shook his head. "Hardly. It seems like it was just some of your run-of-the-mill gang warfare. Sakumu was lured there for some drug deal and was killed. Some members of the Yanada gang 'fessed up… and as you know, there's no love lost between the Yanada and the Urana." 

He proceeded to give the details.

********* 

Neon fluffed at her hair irately with a hairbrush. It was wavy from its recent rasta-braided confinements, and difficult to get straightened. 

"You really need a manlier hairstyle, Joker," she said crossly. 

Joker shrugged. "If my hair was as short as Gashakura's, you would've had to shave your head," he responded. 

"Hardly," she answered primly. "We would have gone with the Other Plan in that case." 

Joker pouted. "And what was wrong with the plan we went with? I thought it was kind of cool. I'm sure the officers thought it was a pleasant change from the usual sordid mess they deal with." He posed dramatically. "Forbidden love. Secret rites. After-death experiences. It's terrific." 

"A goober could have come up with that plan!" exploded Neon. "It's so… infantile! Cheesy! Stupid! I felt like a fool!" 

"But it worked," he contradicted her. "I don't see them coming around anymore." 

"Probably because they don't want to be infected with idiotitis." 

"Huh." Any harder, and it would have been a snort. But then he decided it was best to change tack. "You really need to loosen up. Become more relaxed." He moved behind her and placed his fingers lightly on her shoulders, beginning to rub. "See how tense you are? You're too uptight." 

Now it was Neon's turn for a "Huh." But she didn't move away. If there was one thing Joker was good at, it was shoulder rubs. She gave up trying to straighten her hair, and clipped it up instead so it was out of the way. She quietly submitted for a few moments. "It was just so ridiculous," Neon finally repeated, in a considerably calmer voice. 

"Mmmhmmm. Perhaps we're just ridiculous people," suggested Joker. "I mean, c'mon. A bunch of grown people running around with killer toys like ours, wearing funny costumes and living a secret life in a mansion in the forest. That's pretty nonsensical right there. If we add another silly story to our list, well, it's just another story. That's all." 

Neon nodded, feeling ashamed at her outburst from earlier. "Perhaps you're right. It's just one more story at the end of what's already a long list." She stared ahead for a little while before adding, "But I can't help but shake the feeling that whoever wrote it was in a quirky mood when she started." 

"Isn't that usually the case?" replied Joker lightly, and they were lost in their own thoughts.


End file.
